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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Keith Law Top 100

A day after Keith Law ranked the Astros as the number 4 farm system, we see a reason why. He ranked 5 Astros prospects in his Top 100, (insider) and 3 in the top 50. Here they are.

#24 Carlos Correa

#32 Jon Singleton

#43 George Springer

#83 Delino DeShields, Jr.

#86 Jarred Cosart

From last year, Singleton and Springer rose about 15 spots, Cosart fell 10 and DeShields and Correa (obviously) were added.

Law still sees Correa switching to 3rd eventually, but believes the bat will be good enough to stick there. He sees Singleton as .380-.400 OBP guy with 25 HR potential. His note on Springer is interesting. He says that Springer needs to make an adjustment when behind in the count, and if he does he can be an All-Star. If he doesn't, Law is not sure he will hit enough to be a regular. He likes the progress DeShields has made, both offensively and at 2B. This should help with the perceived snub from Mayo. (Although, really, being ranked 102 is not much of a snub). Regarding Cosart, he thinks he still has a shot at starting, but"he'd be one of the best closer prospects around" if he doesn't. Cosart has fallen in the past three rankings.

Law also posted his "Ten Prospects Who Just Missed." Grossman was 5th on the list. I don't necessarily think that means Grossman is #105, but its pretty close. Law acknowledges he is higher on Grossman than most, seeing his on base skills as making up for his lack of power.

Law's rankings, or Baseball America's, or MLB's, or any other prospect ranking, shouldn't change how you view the state of the farm system or the Astros in general. They disagree and prospect ratings are not an exact science. However, the fact that nearly all of these prospect gurus are praising the work Luhnow and crew have done in the draft and in these trades tells us something. For the first time in a while, there are potential impact players in the minors. More than that, there is depth. Some of these prospects, especially those outside of the top 50, will fail. But there are others that can be ready to take their place. We can start to see some hope that there will be help for the big league club soon. These prospects rankings are just a reflection of that hope.

True, and a very good point. Wade's last two drafts were solid, and the Pence trade was fantastic. I think the rise in the overall organizational rankings are more due to the depth added into the system by Luhnow, but Wade deserves at least some of the credit. Pains me to say that.

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